FORMER UN INVESTIGATORS TESTIFY IN KAMUHANDA'S DEFENCE

Arusha, February 6, 2003 (FH) - Two former UN investigators on Thursday testified in defence of former Rwandan Minister for Higher Education and genocide suspect Jean de Dieu Kamuhanda at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Both witnesses talked mainly about the role they played in Kamuhanda's arrest in France on November 26th, 1999.

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They were present when Kamuhanda was apprehended by the French police and were also instrumental in his arrest in the city of Bourges. The two witnesses were dubbed ENQ1 and ENQ2 to protect their identity. ENQ1, the twentythird defence witness was the first to testify in the afternoon session. The morning session was entirely held in camera. Both witnesses gave similar accounts of Kamuhanda's arrest. The two testified for about an hour. They told the court that Kamuhanda informed them after his arrest at the police station that he was ready to cooperate with the ICTR. "We asked him if he was ready to speak to us and he responded spontaneously. I also told him it was not obligatory for him to speak to us but he accepted to speak. " ENQ1 stated. The former investigators held an informal interview with Kamuhanda, which lasted about two hours. They wanted to determine if Kamuhanda had any information on the 1994 genocide, which could be useful to them. But Kamuhanda only gave the investigators names of three people whom he said could say where he was during the genocide. The names were however not stated in court. A notebook containing the summary of the interview, which was recorded by ENQ2, was produced in court. The witness told the court he had taken the notes for the use of the Director of Prosecutions. The trial continues on Monday with the evidence of defence witnesses. The trial is before Trial Chamber II composed of Judges William Hussein Sekule of Tanzania (presiding), Arlette Ramaroson (Madagascar) Winston Churchill Matanzima Maqutu (Lesotho)PJ/CE/FH (KH0206e)